Get In Shape With An Indoor Bike Trainer

Help Me Find A Good Bike Trainer For My Mom

A little bit of background. My mom is in her 40's and is having a tough time getting any exercise in the winter. To be nice about it, she sits at a computer desk just about all day long and comes home and watches TV. In other words, she gets no exercise until summer comes around. She enjoys exercising and has asked me for suggestions. She has a mountain bike and I was wondering if she can use a bike trainer with that?

You know what? I applaud you for looking out after your mom. Unfortunately in today's society, we get all too used to having a sit down job and then coming home to relax with dinner and perhaps an adult beverage. Its easy to become homebound during winter because lets face it, for some of us its just too darn cold or icy or snowy to be exercising outside. We could come up with a multitude of excuses or we could do something about it. So, why don't we choose to be active this winter.

Yes, your mom could get a rim drive trainer for her mountain bike and have the bike setup within a matter of a few minutes. A rim drive trainer uses the rim of the rear tire to propel the bike, while most bike trainers have the rear tire on a roller. What that means is that rim drive trainers allow mountain bike riders to ride a trainer without worrying about the rear tire being worn down or falling apart. Its a neat concept and this type of trainer is relatively quiet as compared to the standard bike trainer. I think you would be doing your mom a favor by either buying or recommending a rim drive trainer for her.

Minoura RDA80D Rimdrive Trainer

Rating:	(8 reviews)
	$299.97
	No

Another choice may seem a little weird but it is something that your mom may be able to use at work. It involves cycling but while sitting (wait a minute, you say.. isn't all cycling done while sitting?). Yeah, but this type of cycling is different. The Magnetrainer Extended Range Mini Exercise Bike can be put under a desk and you can exercise literally at work while typing on the keyboard. From my understanding, this mini exercise bike has the widest range of resistance of any "mini" on the market. That means that the resistance should be good enough to not only burn a few calories but to also get the blood pumping, which is exactly what we need during the freezing days of winter.

MagneTrainer-ER Mini Exercise Bike Arm and Leg Exerciser

Rating:	(166 reviews)
	$149.00
	No

What Is A Good Bike Trainer?

I'm about to purchase a bike trainer but am really clueless about what to buy. What is a good bike trainer across a few different price points?

Why don't we pick five different price levels and see what we can do for you. We're not talking about prices on bike trainers that you may be able to pick up used or through Ebay or Craigslist but rather retail/sales price. What we will be using is Amazon because you'll not only find a very wide range of bike trainers but they are rated on a scale and with customer comments. Sure, you can usually throw away a great comment or two on every bike trainer and the bottom couple of comments from people who just like to bash everything. Truth be told though, since neither Amazon or the customer are paid for these comments, they reliably tell what the user thinks of the product. I use Amazon for reviewing not only bike trainers but everything from coffee makers, to books, nutritional supplements, etc...
$0 to $100
$101 to 200
$201 to $300
$301 to $400
$401 to $500

So what do we look for when comparing bike trainers on Amazon? First of all, we know that there are different types of bike trainers, namely a wind trainer, magnetic trainer, fluid trainer, rim drive trainer, and a roller trainer.

Wind Trainer - Uses a fan to provide resistance. Generally loud and provides the least amount of resistance of any bike trainers.

Magnetic Trainer - Uses a series of magnets to provide resistance. On the better trainers, this resistance can be changed either on the trainer itself (by bringing the magnets closer together for more resistance or further apart of less resistance) or on a remote handlebar shifter. Generally makes less noise and offers better resistance than a wind trainer.

Fluid Trainer - Recognized as the best type of trainer on the market today. A fluid trainer uses a sealed chamber containing fluid (generally with an impeller rotating that provides resistance). A fluid trainer has the best resistance, offers the most road like feel of any bike trainer and is used by intermediate cyclists and those competing at the pro level.

Rim Drive Trainer - A great trainer for mountain bikes. In fact, it can be used with road bikes as well. However, if you have a mountain bike and don't want to change the rear tire to a slick in order to ride a trainer, a rim drive trainer is the perfect choice. The best rim drive trainers offer a number of resistance settings and that resistance is provided at the rim, rather than the rear tire.

Roller Trainer - A roller trainer uses both tires. Imagine riding on soup cans that are held in place by a board. Ok, bad analogy. Actually there are those out in the cycling community that prefer roller trainers because it helps them to maintain balance while riding. You will not be bored when using a roller trainer because if you lose concentration for only a short while, you will find yourself falling off the trainer.

Criteria
1. Price (is the bike trainer on sale?)
2. Number of reviews
3. Average review rating

Best Bike Trainer $0 to $100

This one is an easy pick. Bell Motivator Mag Indoor Bicycle Trainer. It has a retail price of $99.99, is currently on sale for $79.99 (as of January 9, 2011). It has 256 reviews at an average review rating of 4.2 out of 5 stars. Hard to beat the quality of the Bell Motivator Mag at this price.

Bell Motivator Mag Indoor Bicycle Trainer

Rating:	(365 reviews)
	$89.98
	Yes ($25 minimum)

Best Bike Trainers $101 to $200

KURT KINETIC CYCLONE WIND TRAINER

Rating:	(4 reviews)
	$200.00
	No

CycleOps Mag Indoor Bicycle Trainer

Rating:	(56 reviews)
	Too low to display
	Yes ($25 minimum)

Minoura Mag-850DR Trainer With Remote " w/ Riser Block, Blue 128595

Rating:	(11 reviews)
	$
	No

Minoura Action Roller Advance Wide Bicycle Trainer

Rating:	(8 reviews)
	$
	No

Best Bike Trainers $201 to $300

CycleOps Magneto Indoor Bicycle Trainer

Rating:	(17 reviews)
	$251.99
	Yes ($25 minimum)

Minoura RDA80D Rimdrive Trainer

Rating:	(8 reviews)
	$299.97
	No

CycleOps Fluid 2 Indoor Bicycle Trainer

Rating:	(143 reviews)
	Too low to display
	Yes ($25 minimum)

Rating:	No reviews. Be the first!
	$
	No

Best Bike Trainers $301 to $400

Kurt Kinetic Road Machine Indoor Trainer

Rating:	(166 reviews)
	Too low to display
	No

Rating:	No reviews. Be the first!
	$
	No

Rating:	No reviews. Be the first!
	$
	No

Best Bike Trainers $401 And Above

Note: some of these trainers come with additional items but I've included them here because they were the most sought after bike trainers at this price point.

New 2010 Green Kurt Kinetic Road Machine with Riser Ring, Power Computer & Floor Mat Package

Rating:	No reviews. Be the first!
	Too low to display
	No

Elite Real Power CT Indoor Bike Trainer. Travel Block +15 Video Races

Rating:	(2 reviews)
	Too low to display
	Yes ($25 minimum)

Tacx Fortius Virtual Reality Multiplayer Trainer w/TTS 3.0

Rating:	(8 reviews)
	$
	No

Tacx i-Magic Fortius Virtual Reality Gel Trainer

Rating:	(7 reviews)
	$1,299.95
	No

CycleOps PowerBeam Indoor Bicycle Trainer

Rating:	(1 review)
	Too low to display
	No

What Kind Of Indoor Bike Trainer Should I Buy?

I am wondering what the difference is (besides price) in trying to decide what kind of indoor bike trainer to purchase?
Can you please explain the difference between the different kinds of bike trainers and what kind should I look for if I want to simulate road-type riding.
Thanks

Ok, in general you have a five different trainers to look at.
* Wind Trainer
* Magnetic Trainer
* Fluid Trainer
* Rim Drive Trainer
* Roller Trainer

Lets explain each of them one by one.

Wind Trainer

Basically a wind trainer uses a fan for resistance. Your back tire sits on a roller and the fan (depending on the size of it) helps to give resistance as you pedal faster. Wind trainers are noisy and they generally provide the least amount of resistance. On the positive side, wind trainers are one of the cheapest type of bike trainers that you can buy. And the negative is that they give the least road like feel of any of the indoor trainers.

Sun 20" Wind Trainer for Bicycles

Rating:	(1 review)
	$141.77
	No

Magnetic Trainer

Magnetic trainers are used by the gamut of cyclists, from beginner to advanced. You will find very inexpensive magnetic trainers as well as those hitting over $300. By inexpensive, just take a look at the Bell Motivator Mag indoor bike trainer below. A magnetic trainer uses a series of magnets which provide the resistance. Imagine positive magnets on one side of a flywheel and another flywheel having negative magnets. They attract each other but are a certain distance away. Now, what happens if you can change the setting on the bike trainer or through a remote handlebar adjuster where it brings these magnets closer together. Well, your resistance has just increased. Now, what if you have 3 levels of resistance? What if you have 5 levels of resistance? Magnetic trainers provide middle of the road resistance and are less noisy than wind trainers.

Bell Motivator Mag Indoor Bicycle Trainer

Rating:	(365 reviews)
	$89.98
	Yes ($25 minimum)

Fluid Trainer

Fluid trainers are mainly used by advanced riders, however you'll find some with prices that are comparable to magnetic trainers. I'll state this flat out. Fluid trainers are the most road realistic trainer that you can buy. You will find that the USA Cycling Team uses a fluid trainer. Some will argue with me and say that a roller trainer (running on both tires) offers the best road like feel but I've found that roller trainers require 100% concentration while riding and I still don't feel that they get the resistance that you will find with a fluid trainer. With a fluid trainer, fluid is housed inside a chamber. As an impeller moves faster and faster within the fluid, the pressure/resistance builds. Fluid trainers also have (a general statement) more features than the previously mentioned bike trainers.

New 2010 Green Kurt Kinetic Road Machine with Riser Ring, Power Computer & Floor Mat Package

Rating:	No reviews. Be the first!
	Too low to display
	No

Rim Drive Trainer

I see rim drive trainers as mainly used by mountain bike riders. Meaning, instead of your rear tire running on a roller as in the wind trainer, magnetic trainer, and fluid trainer, a rim drive trainer uses the rim of your rear tire. The rim drive trainer connects to the rim and the bike is propelled with resistance thanks from the help of the trainer. You will not need to change your rear tire to a slick as you should with all the above trainers. So, you can use your mountain bike and just keep that back tire on. If you have a mountain bike, I would not look at any other trainer than a rim drive trainer.

Minoura RDA-800 Rim Drive Trainer " Red 5 Levels.

Rating:	(5 reviews)
	$339.99
	No

Roller Trainer

When using a roller trainer, both tires on your bike move on the rollers. Most roller trainers will require you to initially (as a beginner) setup next to a wall so that you can maintain balance. You will fall off of a roller trainer as you are learning. You will get a road like feel or maybe a feel of riding a bike on ice at times. I find that roller trainers lack resistance (one negative) and on a personal level, I cannot maintain concentration long enough to have a long ride on a roller trainer. Since all other trainers are stable, for me, I'll do better on any other bike trainer.

Rating:	No reviews. Be the first!
	$
	No

Tire or Rim Drive Indoor Bike Trainer?

Which is better and what are the benefits of a rim drive trainer versus a tire drive trainer? What would you recommend and why?

Lets start by giving some definitions of both types of bike trainers. From there I'll let you come to your own conclusion.
Rim Drive Trainer - A bike trainer which uses the rim of the rear tire to propel the bike
Tire Drive Trainer - A bike trainer where the rear tire is on a small roller and resistance is created either through a fan (wind trainer), magnets (magnetic trainer), or fluid (fluid trainer).
Roller Trainer - A bike trainer which uses both tires of the bicycle to create momentum/resistance.

For now we are just concentrating on the two trainers that you spoke of, a rim drive trainer and a tire drive trainer.

A rim drive trainer works equally well for mountain bikes and road bikes but there is a definite positive when used with a mountain bike. You see, because mountain bikes have knobby tires, they don't do so well on tire drive trainers (wind trainer, magnetic trainer, fluid trainer, and roller trainer). There is a caveat here though. Mountain bikes do well on tire drive trainers if you switch out the rear tire to a slick (again on wind trainers, magnetic trainers, and fluid trainers) and if you switch out both tires on a roller trainer. Again, if you choose to ride a mountain bike on a tire drive trainer, make sure you use a slick tire. Knobby tires simply make too much noise, cause too much vibration, and they will have a significantly reduced lifetime if used with a tire drive trainer.

Ok, lets get back to that rim drive trainer. This is a perfect choice for a mountain bike. No need at all to change your tires because the rim drive trainer uses the rim of your rear tire to propel the bike on the trainer. It works equally as well with a road bike. So why don't you hear of more cyclists using rim drive trainers? I personally think it is because one manufacturer (Minoura) captures nearly all of the market and because the rim drive trainer hasn't been around for too long. If you buy one though, you'll notice that most use magnetic resistance and are a fairly quite ride.

Minoura RDA-800 Rim Drive Trainer " Red 5 Levels.

Rating:	(5 reviews)
	$339.99
	No

A tire drive trainer is mainly meant for road bikes and comes in three different versions... wind trainer, mag trainer, and fluid trainer. Here you have plenty of options when it comes to price, resistance, and other features. In general a wind trainer will provide the least amount of resistance and make the most amount of noise. Wind trainers have long been known as the cheapest way to buy a bike trainer but lately more and more manufacturers are getting out of the market. So, you will still find wind trainers but now you mainly find them being sold by reputable, well known companies.

Wind Trainer

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	$
	No

A magnetic trainer (notice the name of my website) is the usual road bike standby for both beginner and intermediate trainers. Also, those on a budget will find plenty of choices when it comes to magnetic trainers. Magnetic trainers usually use a series of magnets which creates the resistance. The size/weight of the flywheel helps to determine how much of a road like feel you will get with a mag trainer... in general, bigger and heavier is better. In regards to resistance and features, some mag trainers only let you change resistance on the bike trainer itself while others let you do it through a remote handlebar shifter.

Magnetic Trainer

CycleOps Mag+ Indoor Bicycle Trainer Trainer with Bar Mounted Remote Shifter

Rating:	(23 reviews)
	$188.99
	Yes ($25 minimum)

A fluid trainer is often seen as the bike trainer (tire drive) that most intermediate to advanced cyclists will ride. It does not mean that a beginning rider can't use a fluid trainer but seeing as the cost starts hitting another level, fluid trainers usually bring out the hard core cyclists. Fluid trainers offer the most road realistic feel, in general offer the best range of resistance, and are known as being the most quiet of all the trainers (although I've heard some whisper quiet rim drive trainers). Good fluid trainers adjust resistance as you change speed. The best fluid trainers are what is called virtually leak proof.

Fluid Trainer

Kurt Kinetic Road Machine Indoor Trainer

Rating:	(166 reviews)
	Too low to display
	No

What Is A Bike Trainer?

In the cycling community, a bike trainer is a device which allows you to ride your bike indoors. You simply hook up your bicycle to the bike trainer and start training. While most riders will use a bike trainer during inclement weather and especially during the winter, just like an exercise bike, a bike trainer can be ridden year round.

Wind Trainer

Usually the most inexpensive of all the trainers, a wind trainer gets its resistance from a fan. Wind trainers get a bad rap because they can be quite noisy and not provide as much resistance as other bike trainers. A good starting point for beginners looking for their first bike trainer.

KURT KINETIC CYCLONE WIND TRAINER

Rating:	(4 reviews)
	$200.00
	No

Magnetic Trainer

Magnetic trainers are also a good beginning to intermediate bike trainer. A magnetic trainer gets its resistance from a series of magnets usually situated around a flywheel. You'll often find that magnetic trainers have more resistance than a wind trainer.

CycleOps Mag Indoor Bicycle Trainer

Rating:	(56 reviews)
	Too low to display
	Yes ($25 minimum)

Fluid Trainer

A fluid trainer is considered the premier bike trainer because it not only offers (a general statement) the best resistance and the most road like feel, it also is a relatively quiet trainer. The USA Cycling Team uses a fluid trainer.

New 2010 Green Kurt Kinetic Road Machine with Riser Ring, Power Computer & Floor Mat Package

Rating:	No reviews. Be the first!
	Too low to display
	No

Rim Drive Trainer

A rim drive trainer is now available and works great with mountain bikes. Instead of the rear tire riding on a roller, the rim of the rear tire is what propels the bike. When using either a mountain bike or road bike on a rim drive trainer, you will not have to change out the rear tire. With all other trainers, it is recommended that you replace the rear tire with a slick tire.

Rating:	No reviews. Be the first!
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Roller Trainer

Finally, you have a roller trainer. A roller tire has both tires of the bike on the trainer and is what you will want to use if your primary goal is to maintain balance while riding during the off season.

Rating:	No reviews. Be the first!
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	No